Band of Misfits
by AnabelleSighs
Summary: Follow the lives of 5 teenagers as they work through school, family, romance, friendship, and the struggles that come with trying to make it big as a band of misfits in the 1990's.
1. Chapter 1

Buford, Georgia. 1993.

A dirty blonde-haired boy sporting a green hoodie smoothed his hands over the curves of the street pole, smiling to himself.

"Aaaaand... there! The last flyer!" He exclaimed, his dull pink overbite stretching over his teeth in a wide grin. Placing his hands on his hips, the boy looked over the bright colored flyer, nodding in approval.

A loud yawn ripped out from another teen standing a short ways behind him. He was a fairly built fella, reaching almost 6 feet tall, with dark brown skin and a red tinted glass encasing the entirety of his left eyeball. He stretched his hands over his head, effectively cracking his back bones.

"BB, don't you think these flyers are a little too..." The large guy trailed off, relaxing his body after that much needed stretch.

"Too what? Dank? Legit? Dope? Bangin?"

"Whack." He deadpanned.

"Dude, Cy, what are you talking about? I stayed up like all night working on these flyers!" The short teen puffed out in exasperation. The darker of the two scowled a bit, looking at the flyer plastered on the pole for what he hoped was the last time today.

 **!WANTED! MEMBERS FOR OUR HELLA FRESH NEW BAND, BBCB AND THE BARRELS. Only super sexy people allowed. (It also helps if you can play an instrument) Meet up with us at 710 Greenbird Ln. If nobody's home, wait on the back porch until someone gets there. And remember, IF YOU AIN'T BANGIN, DON'T BOTHER US. Sincerly, Beast Boy. ;)**

"I dunno, man, it just sounds kinda tacky. And uglyist." Cyborg commented, folding his arms over his muscular chest.

"What the hell is "uglyist?"

"You know! Like "sexist" or "racist," except towards ugly people." He explained as if he were talking to him about the weather. Beast Boy rolled his eyes at his brute of a friend. See? He wasn't the only one who said stupid things.

"Right...anyways, you just watch. These mega legit flyers are gonna bring in so many new members! We'll have to start turning people down!" He exclaimed. For them, that was a huge deal. They obviously didn't get many eager musicians. knocking on their garage door. Cyborg sighed in defeat, too tired to argue with his amped amigo.

"Fine. I'm trustin you on this one, BB."

"Dude, don't worry. There'll be people at our doorstep by tomorrow morning for sure. I got this one in the bag!" He shouted, pumping his fist in the air and taking off down the sidewalk. Cyborg rolled his eyes with a smile coming across his large features, running after the energetic teen.

* * *

Beast Boy sat slouched over his synthesizer plugged up to the wall of his garage, tapping on the keys experimentally. It was nearly three quarters past 7 in the morning. He tapped his foot lightly against the ground, playing a simple melody with his fingers to pass the time until Cyborg came for him. He was rarely up on time for his large friend to pick him up for school. On a normal day, Cyborg would be dragging his scrawny butt out of bed. Beast Boy was never an early bird, and the thought of having to get up at 6 o'clock just to catch the bus made him cringe in disgust. He was lucky Cyborg got his drivers license (well, a permit to be exact) as soon as he turned 16, it spared him from the horror that was the school bus. However, today he was pumped with energy thinking of the potential musicians that would come in for an audition, if any at all. he bit his lip a bit at the thought, shaking his head left and right.

"They'll come. For sure. It's all good." He reassured himself, standing up and rolling his neck around, his constant half smile appearing on his face. A loud horn suddenly blared through the gap of the slightly opened garage door, cutting through the silence of the spacious room. Beast Boy grinned and grabbed his deep purple backpack, slinging it over his shoulder with one hand and pulling open the garage door with the other.

"Rita! I'm gone!" He shouted back in the direction of the house, running towards the light blue van parked in front of his home. A woman who seemed to be in her early forties sporting bright purple yoga pants poked her head out of the garage door.

"Alright! Be safe, hon!" She smiled at the teen's retreating figure and went back to her early morning yoga session.

Beast Boy hopped into the passenger seat of his friend's van, throwing his bag in the back seat.

"You're up bright and early this morning. Did hell freeze over?" Cyborg teased his best friend. Beast Boy merely grinned, shaking his head at the older teen.

"Alright CB, let's dip!" He shouted, turning up the radio as they zoomed off to face the world. I.E go to school.

They sped off so fast, they didn't catch the sight of a suspicious looking teen eyeing Beast Boy's home, a familiar flyer squeezed in his right hand. He saw the car speeding off down the road and sighed, stuffing the flyer in his back pocket and heading down the sidewalk towards the high school.

* * *

If there was one thing Cyborg hated about school, it was _English class_. Math, he could do. All you had to do was calculate numbers in many different variations to meet the final equation. Piece of cake. Science, he could also do. He might even admit to enjoying it if his parents weren't so dead set on him becoming a "scientist" or an "engineer," or anything more stable than an athlete/drummer of some garage band. But English? It was totally bogus in his eyes. Like, why the hell would you teach a bunch of English speaking students how to speak English? The whole process seemed pretty redundant, if you asked him.

He slouched over his (rather cramped) desk, his arms hanging over the back like some kind of monkey. Blowing a raspberry, cyborg looked towards the empty seat beside him, praying to God that someone who was good at English would sit beside him. In a way, he was actually glad Beast Boy didn't share any core classes with the tall teen. That boy couldn't grasp the concept of core subjects to save his life. He didn't know how his short friend even managed to graduate passed the 5th grade. Beast Boy was a grade below him, which was a relief, to say the least. He loved the little booger to death, but he loved cheating off of smart people even more. When it came to him and BB, he was the smart person being cheated off of. It wasn't as much fun being on the receiving end.

More students began to gather in the home room. One by one they took their seats in a desk of their choice, none of them choosing to sit beside Cyborg, much to his distain.

 _Must be the eye..._ he thought bitterly, rolling his one good eye. He turned in the direction of the window, resting his cheek on his palm. The last of the students came in along with the teacher, and he barely noticed the air shift as a shadow moved past the aisle to sit in the seat beside him.

"This seat taken?" a scrappy deep voice spoke from beside him. Cyborg looked up to lock eyes with...a pair of shades?

"Uhh...oh! Nah, man, go for it." He said. The lean boy nodded curtly and slid into the desk beside him, tapping his index finger on the old wood. Cyborg eyed the strange character. First of all, the shades made him look hella creepy. Maybe it was a fashion statement? Cyborg shrugged. He didn't know jack squat about fashion. That was a world he would rather not dive into. Secondly, the kid was sporting some pretty badass looking leather jacket and ripped faded jeans. Not many teenagers in this school looked like they came straight out of some gang fight, but he guessed there was a first time for everything.

Cyborg was about to turn back towards the window when a thought sparked in his mind. He smiled his sweetest smile and turned towards the boy's direction.

"So...what's up, dawg?" He asked in a friendly voice. The strange guy barely turned.

"Nothin."

"New here?"

"Not really. Been here since last semester."

"Any good at English?"

"Somewhat."

Cyborg frowned. Something about the kid was beginning to irk him. He just couldn't tell if it was because he was indirectly ignoring him or the fact that Cyborg could smell his hair gel from all the way over here. He cleared his throat and straightened the collar of his grey opened button up.

"Well, I don't usually do so hot in this class. Maybe we could help each other out?" There. He threw it out there. This seemed to catch the boy's attention. He turned towards the oversized guy with a quirked eyebrow.

"Help each other out?" He asked skeptically. Cyborg nodded his head with a large smile.

"Yeah! ya know, like sometimes you can give me the answers on a quiz, sometimes I can give you a hint or two. Sometimes you can help me write out my essays, sometimes I can help you with a grammar error. Give an' take, word?"

His eyebrow seemed to fall back under his shades, and he let out a huff, turning back towards the front.

"Oh. you mean you wanna cheat off a me." He stated with a light laugh. Cyborg grimaced at the tone in his voice. I mean, he didn't have to make it sound so bad.

"Well, I wasn't thinkin' those exact words, but yeah pretty much. So we cool on this?" He asked, his fake smile returning.

"Ha. yeah, no."

"What? Why not?!" Cyborg barked. He didn't even notice the teacher begin to take roll.

"Cause I don't wanna be the cause of some cheater growing up to be retarded." He stated simply, raising his hand when his name was called. A few girls looked in his direction, blushing at the sight of his cool exterior.

"Dude...did you just call me retarded?" Cyborg asked slowly. The boy shrugged.

"Basically."

Cyborg's eyebrows twitched.

"Why you spikey haired lil bitc-"

"Victor Stone!" The teacher yelled out, startling Cyborg to his core.

"P-present!" He yelled back, grimacing at the scattered giggles coming from the rest of his home room. He glanced at the target of his slip up and just about exploded at the smirk spread across the spikey freak's face.

Cyborg sunk back into his seat, making sure to glare daggers into the boy the rest of the class period.

* * *

"Dude, you seriously need to chillax." Beast Boy said from around the straw in his mouth. They sat in a small diner near his home after school, drinking milkshakes to pass the time. Beast Boy thought it would be a good idea to wait a bit before going home to give the "many applicants" the idea that they were super nonchalant and had better things to do with their lives. Cyborg groaned, slurping up the last of his fifth milkshake.

"You don't understand man. I just wanna ring that kid's scrawny lil neck!" He yelled out, positioning his hands in a choking motion for emphasis.

"kinky."

"Dude, don't make it gross." Cyborg huffed and threw his empty cup to the side of the table, the remains spilling over the edge. He could practically feel the dirty looks coming from the nearby waiters, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"C'mon, he can't be that bad!" Beast Boy reasoned.

"He covered his page the entire class period."

"He seems like a stand up guy-"

"And the girls kept drooling over him like dogs at a piece of meat."

"Honest _and_ sexy-"

"That lil jerk asked me if I would like fries with my retarded."

Beast Boy nearly spit out his milkshake. He coughed out a laugh, covering his mouth to prevent anything from spilling out.

"Oh my God, dude. This guy sounds _awesome_." The short teen sputtered between fits of laughter. Cyborg grumbled, crossing his arms in a pout.

"Fuck you man."

"You gotta take me out to dinner first!" He winked, and Cyborg could feel those five milkshakes coming back up his throat.

"Are you gonna pay or not?" A raspy voice suddenly spoke from beside them. Cyborg looked up and locked eyes with a pair of dark violet ones. A rather annoyed looking waitress about their age stood by their table with a check in her hand and a very noticeable scowl on her face. Her black tinted hair was cut in a slightly longer than average bob and her skin was as pale as day. She wore a long black dress with a plain looking choker and brown combat boots, adorned with the diner's signature apron. Cyborg was slightly intimidated by her heavy stare and looked away quickly, picking up the milkshake he'd tossed over moments before.

"Howa bout a discount for a fellow classmate~?" Beast Boy asked the girl as he leaned over the table to draw closer to her. Said girl merely rolled her eyes and just about threw the checkbook in the teen's face, walking off into the kitchen to do who knows what. Cyborg looked at his friend, who was rubbing his bruised nose with an angry frown.

"Um, who the hell was that?" he asked.

"huh? Oh, that was just Raven. We have a few classes together." Beast Boy explained, stuffing the money (which he totally just stole from Cyborg) into the checkbook. The tall teen furrowed his brows.

"Does she always look so..."

"Terrifying? Depressed? Like she just murdered your entire family? Yeah, pretty much. But Rae Rae's pretty dope whenever she's not acting like she's got a stick up her as-"

"Ahem."

Beast Boy all but jumped out of his seat. He looked up at the girl with sheepish smile, handing her the checkbook with a nervous chuckle. Raven snatched it out of his hands and walked to the cash register to put in their money, glaring at them the entire time. Slowly the boys stood from their seats, then hightailed it out of that place.

* * *

Cyborg and Beast Boy finally arrived at the younger's home, pulling into the driveway of his purple tinted house. The blonde huffed out a breath, turning towards his one eyed friend. Cyborg looked back and smiled nervously, clearing his throat.

"...Listen BB, there might not be anybody waiting for us-" He was stopped by a tanned hand covering his mouth.

"Dude, don't worry about it. Even if nobody shows up today, that doesn't mean they won't show up tomorrow!" He stated and hopped out of the van with his bag slung over his shoulder, walking off into the back. Cyborg sighed and shook his head, smiling. Sometimes that kid was too optimistic for his own good. He put his baby (I.E his van) into park, sliding out the keys and stepping out of the large car.

He was about to walk to the back himself when his short friend came running out from around the house, his eyes wide in what Cyborg can only describe as shock.

"Dude! There's some guy sitting on our back porch!" He exclaimed, a wide grin spreading over his features. "This is it, man! BBCB and the Barrels are about to get their first Barrel!"

"Woah, stop wigg'n out for a moment, B, how do ya know he's even any good?" Cyborg reasoned, trying not to get the boy's hopes up too high. But it didn't seem like they were coming down anytime soon. Beast Boy shook his head, his smile only growing wider.

"Oh, I _know_. He brought his own guitar! That thing looks freaking _sick_!" He hissed out, grabbing Cyborg's sleeve and dragging him to the back of the house. The teen rolled his eyes, but he had to admit he was also excited to see who wanted to join their ace band. He just didn't show it much. Someone had to be the grown up around here, didn't they?

"Look look! There he is..!" He said in a hushed voice, pointing to a figure slouched over the first porch step with a wicked red and black guitar leaning beside him. Cyborg's face nearly fell straight to the floor at the sight before him.

"oh _HELL_ no." He blurted out, grabbing the figure's attention. He stood to his full height once he took notice of the two boy's, quirking his eyebrow in interest when he spotted Cyborg.

Bogus leather jacket? Hella creepy stalker shades? Foul smelling hair gel? Oh yeah, this was that scrub from earlier. He smiled and walked up to the two, and Beast Boy nearly _fell on his knees._

" _Dude_ ," He started, and Cyborg just knew he was gonna say something completely stupid.

"Your hair looks _amazing_. How do you get it to stand up like that?!" He asked excitedly, leaning closer to the male. The boy in question leaned back awkwardly, clearing his throat. Cyborg scoffed.

"He probably uses his boogers or something. No wonder it smells so bad." He muttered out, crossing his arms.

"Did you just say I stink?"

"I dunno, did you call me retarded?" Cyborg shot back. Even though he couldn't see the kid's eyes, he knew his eyes were probably rolling out of his head from behind those shades.

"Look, I just came to audition for this band..uh..." He pulled the flyer out from his back pocket. Even though Cyborg wasn't looking, he could just tell Beast Boy left planet Earth from sheer happiness. He had to fight the urge to smack the kid upside the head.

"BBCB and the...Barrels..?"

"Ever learn to read?" He asked. The boy scowled at him, and Cyborg cocked his head in satisfaction.

"Ignore my tin-headed friend here," He jabbed a thumb in Cy's direction, who verbally grimaced, "so you came to become a Barrel, right? The garage is this way. Follow me!" He exclaimed, taking off towards the garage with Cyborg following grumpily behind.

"Wait! Don't you wanna know my name?" He asked suddenly.

"Not really." Cyborg commented under his breath.

"Oh yeah! Sorry bout that dude, what's your name?" He asked. The lean boy smiled, placing his hands in his pockets and walking towards them.

"I'm Richard. Or Dick. Dick Grayson."

* * *

A/N Just so you know, they're not going to be "BBCB and the Barrels" for long. Also, I wasn't gonna have Robin and Cyborg be so salty towards each other at first, but my fingers sort of slipped LOL.

Oh, and starfire will be showing up _very_ soon!

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I admit I've never been really good with updating, but I have a lot of inspiration for this story so I don't think I'm gonna abandon it anytime soon. I just don't know when I'll update. It could be tomorrow or weeks from now, so please be patient if you decide to read . Thanks!

One more thing, I don't really have a cap on how many chapters I want this to be, but I do know that I wanna fit in a _lot_ of content, so this can be 30 or 300 chapters, I have no clue XD Basically what I'm trying to say is I'm sort of winging it on this one.

One ONE more thing, _don't question me about the title...I suck at titles..._


	2. Chapter 2

Beast Boy had to refrain from bursting into laughter.

"Pff- dude, your name is...d.. _dick_?!" He struggled to get the word out, covering his mouth and bending over to hide his reddening face. Cyborg smirked from beside him, very pleased by the turn of events.

"Oh, I'm gonna use this one a _lot_." He said, also bursting into fits of laughter.

Richard did not seem pleased. He crossed his arms and shot the boys an equally cross look.

"Well," He walked passed the two who were still giggling like school girls, snagging his guitar from it's perch against the porch. "I guess I have the wrong place then. I'll just leave you ladies alone." He said, trying to conceal his smile when the younger of the two shot up, his expression panicked.

"Dude! no, no, no!" He ran up to Richard, grabbing his leather clothed arm.

 _Woah, hello muscles_. Beast Boy thought to himself, giving the firm piece of meat a squeeze. He was definitely only into girls, but he could appreciate a good bicep now and then.

 _Anyways_.

"No, man! Look, we're sorry, word? We'd love to see what you got!" He reassured the slightly taller teen. Richard contorted his face in fake thought, and he could almost hear Cyborg rolling his eye from behind them.

"Hmmm...apology accepted. I'll play for you guys." He said and turned back towards the garage, Beast Boy tailing close behind.

"Woah!" Cyborg halted the two. "He can't just be granted the privilage of playing for us so easily!" He argued.

"Cy, what are you talking about? I mean, look at him!" He gestured towards Richard, who puffed out his chest in confidence. Cyborg fought the urge to gag.

"Pff, I bet he can't even play something mega simple, like... _When I Come Around_."

"Is that a challenge, tin-head?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Hey! Only I can call him that!" Beast Boy yelled, but was effectively ignored by the two older teens. Cyborg pushed the scrawny kid aside and got all up in the guitarist's grill.

"Think you can handle it, hair gel?!"

"Pft, watch and learn." Richard bumped his shoulder and walked over to the open garage, plugging his guitar into the amp by the wall. He sat on the square tool and rested the instrument on his knee, pulling a red guitar pick out of his jacket pocket.

He tapped his foot to count off the song, and then began strumming the familiar guitar opening to When I Come Around. Beast Boy slowly began to smile at the guy's rythem, but Cyborg wasn't so easily impressed.

"Oh yeah? Well howa bout _Today_?!" He called over the grundgy sound of the guitar. Richard looked up from his shades and smirked, switching over to the happier guitar riff in the beginning of Today. Beast Boy began nodding his head along to the beat, grinning from ear to ear.

"Those are some fresh chords, son!" He called out. Cyborg scowled.

" _Friday I'm in Love_...?"

Richard switched over to the feel good song with such ease even Cyborg couldn't deny his skill. He grimaced as Beast Boy jumped in the air.

"Dude, you are seriously the bomb-!"

" _Smells Like Teen Spirit_!" The large teen suddenly yelled. This seemed to quiet Beast Boy down. Mainly due to the fact that SLTS was one of his favorite songs of all time. If Richard didn't play this song with absolute perfection the short boy wouldn't hesitate to kick his rockin ass to the curb.

Richard stopped playing and slowly stood, throwing his guitar strap over his shoulder. He looked Cyborg straight in the eye and vigorously began playing the iconic guitar riff to Smells Like Teen Spirit.

That was it. Beast Boy was in love.

"oh HELL yes." He said, running over to his synth and playing in line with Richard's guitar strumming. The bright sound of the synth made Nirvana's hit sound more electronic, but the blonde teen didn't necessarily mind. He looked over at Cyborg.

"Yo, tin-head! Do your magic!" He yelled over the sound of the instruments. Cyborg grumbled, but a small smile cracked on the side of his mouth. They did sound pretty banging. He walked over to the drum set in the corner of the garage and slammed his drumsticks on the snare, kicking the song into high geer.

"WHOO!" Beast Boy shouted, banging his head to the beat. He cleared his throat and smiled, swerving the song straight to the chorus with his scrappy voice.

 _"With the lights out, it's less dangerous! Here we are now, entertain us! I feel stupid, and contagious! Here we are now, entertain us! A mulatto! An albino! a mosquito, my libido, YEAH!"_

Richard suddenly stopped playing. He grinned back at the two boys who had also stopped from the lack of guitar.

"You guys are pretty slammin" He complimented. Beast Boy thought his mouth was gonna fall off from how much he was smiling.

"Dude, you are _so_ in!"

"Hold the phone!" Cyborg shouted, standing up from behind his drumset. "Don't I get a say in this?!" He questioned.

"What's there to say? This guy plays like a freaking God!" He shouted, hooking his arm around Richard's shoulders. Cyborg frowned, tugging Beast Boy away from the guitarist.

"BB, I need to speak with you for a sec. _Privately_." He said, dragging him out of the garage.

"Dude, what the hell are you thinking?!" He yell/whispered? Beast Boy rolled his eyes with a grin.

"I'm thinking muscle boy is the newest barrell of BBCB and the Barrels!" He exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Cyborg dragged the kid's arm down from the sky.

"The hell he is! That guy is not joining our band! He thinks he's all that! And a bag of chips!"

"But dude, he _is_ all that and a bag of chips."

"That's besides the point. I'm not letting that fart-knocker join our ace band. He'll totally un-ace it!" He gritted out through his teeth. Beast Boy raised his brow at that totally uncharacteristic Beavis & Butt-head reference.

"Bro...chill out. What's your beef with the guy anyways?" He asked.

"Aaarg! He's that jerk from my English class! I hate that guy! He ruined my life."

"He did not ruin your life. He ruined like an hour of your life. Big difference."

"Still, that's one hour I'll never get back! He ain't joining! Either he bounces or I do."

Beast Boy crossed his arms, looking towards the ground. There was no way he was giving this guy up, even for his all time best homie. He tapped his foot against the floor, trying to think of a way to keep both the sexy guitarist and his favorite drummer.

"What if I do your homework for a month?"

"Pass. I'd have to drop out with those grades."

The short teen deadpanned.

"Uhh...your laundry?"

"You suck at laundry."

"Your...taxes..?"

It was Cyborg's turn to deadpan. Beast Boy waved off the suggestion and grabbed his pal by the arms.

"Dude, pleeeaaaase? C'mon, we have to keep him! You gotta admit our one minute jam session was totally bangin!"

Cyborg puffed out his cheeks, even though he knew the kid was right. They sounded like, _really_ good together. Which was something they didn't get to say very often. Songs just didn't have the same effect when played with only a synth and drums. The oldest of the two sighed. He would definitely agree to this if he didn't have the pride of a demon. No, he wasn't gonna give up that easily. He eyed his short friend skeptically.

"...I'll let the little booger join..." Beast Boy's face lit up, "IF!" his face dimmed back down. He sighed.

"If?"

"IF! You pay for all our food for a month. No more sneaking money out of my pockets and pretending you paid for it! Yeah. Don't think I don't know your tricks!" He said quickly, noticing Beast Boy was about to defend himself. The kid sighed, his shoulders slumping visibly.

" _Fine_." He ground out. They shook on it and Beast Boy walked back to the garage where Richard was sitting on the amp, tuning his fine instrument. He grinned up at them.

"So what's the good word?"

"You're in man! You're officially a barrel! Welcome to the club!" He shouted, hugging the lean boy, who seemed thuroughly uncomfortable. Cyborg walked in shortly after, rolling his eye at the scene before him.

"Just try to keep up." he said, sitting on the stool in front of his drumset. Richard merely nodded, and Beast Boy pulled away from the boy.

"So! Now that you're a part of the band, you gotta have a rockin ass stage name!"

"Stage name?" He asked, slippng off his leather jacket and tossing it over the amp. Beast Boy nodded.

"Course! What, you think our names are actually Beast Boy and Cyborg? Nah man, he's Victor and I'm Garfield." He shook Richard's hand as if they were barely being introduced. He nodded slowly and looked between the two.

"So...how'd you come up with those names?" He asked. Beast Boy smiled.

"Well, Cyborg got his name cause of the eye." He explained, pointing to his own left eye. "I mean, don't you think he kinda looks like the terminator? Plus he's really good at mechanical stuff. He's a cyborg!"

Richard hummed under his breath. I mean, it made sense. It was just really stupid.

"Right...and Beast Boy?"

The kid's smile widened slowly and Cyborg groaned in preparation.

"Cause imma beast on this synth, boy!"

If there was one thing Richard and Victor agreed on, it was that Beast Boy was officially the cringiest teenager on planet earth. He looked between the two and their lack of a reaction, then huffed out an annoyed breath.

" _Anyways_ , you need a stage name too! Nobody's gonna listen to a band with a member in it named _Dick_." He said simply, not necessarily trying to offend Richard. Said teen just rolled his eyes (or at least it seemed that way from behind his shades) and crossed his arms.

 _Yes, because they'll definitely listen to a band with members named Cyborg and Beast Boy in it_.

"Okay, so what did you have in mind?"

"Hmm..." Beast Boy stroked his hairless chin, pondering on the question. He looked Richard up and down. The guy's style was really out of this world. He looked like he came straight over here from a super secret meeting with his bike gang or something. He noticed the teen had taken off his totally awesome leather jacket to reveal a tight fitted black shirt with a red robin printed in the center. He smiled lightly. It suited him.

"Howa bout dipshit?" Cyborg spoke up. Richard shot him a glare and the large boy cleared his throat. He wasn't even really peeved at the kid anymore, it just sort of slipped out.

"Anything is better than Cyborg." He shrugged. Cyborg gritted his teeth. Okay, maybe he was still a little ticked off.

"Robin." Beast Boy spoke up. The two boys looked at him with mixed expressions.

"Really? Robin? I had a girlfriend in 4th grade named Robin." Cyborg commented. Richard stayed silent.

"Oh please, Cy, you had a girlfriend with every name in the book."

"Damn skippy! I was pretty hot stuff before the eye." He pointed to his glass eye. Beast Boy shook his head.

"Nah homie, you're totally a better catch with the eye. Chicks dig scars. That's why I'm so popular with the ladies."

Cyborg snorted.

"Please. You don't got any scars."

"Yu-huh! I got one right here! See?!" He pointed to a barely visible scar on the edge of his hair line, and Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, the ladies must be _all over you_."

"Better believe it!"

"I like the name Robin." Richard suddenly spoke up. The two looked at him. Beast Boy grinned widely and Cyborg grimaced.

"See? I knew you'd like it!" He nudged Cyborg.

"I guess it's not bad." He grumbled, going back to his drum set.

"So Robin," Beast Boy walked up to him with his hands pressed (very professionally) behind his back. "We look forward to seeing you at band practice tomorrow." He said, ushering the guy out of the garage. Robin chuckled.

"I have one more question."

"Oh yeah, anything for you, amigo!"

Robin smiled out of politeness.

"Are we really gonna be called _BBCB and the Barrels_?"

* * *

Richard walked back from Beast Boy's home, his guitar slung over his back like a school bag. He kept his hands in the unnecessary warmth of his jacket pockets, walking through a few less than middle class neighborhoods on his way home. Their butler is always telling him not to do that, but why would he listen? He was a teenager, after all.

He passed all the dingy looking buildings until he arrived in a much nicer looking neighborhood. It didn't take long for the path to become familiar, and he eventually reached "rich kid city." His cream-colored house (more like mansion) rested in seclusion on a small hill at the end of the neighborhood. He sighed and opened the large black gates at the entrance.

On the way up the small hill, he observed the leaves beginning to brown at the core. Yup, fall was approaching fast.

Richard pushed open the heavy black door to his home and was met with a pretty empty house. He walked up the nearby stairs to reach his room, pushing open the door.

The color scheme was rather simple. Black furniture with touches of red here and there. It was a pretty clean room (for a boy, anyways.) The only signs of someone actually inhabiting the space were the bird decorations plastered in every corner. There were posters of exotic birds of paradise smoothed on the walls and mini antiques of birds sitting atop his desk and dressers. You could say he favored the species quite a bit.

With a sigh, Robin placed his guitar on its stand in the corner and plopped on his bed. He grabbed the small wooden carving of a robin on his bedside table, fumbling it between his fingers.

It wasn't like the teenager to go out on a limb and join something as socially demanding as a band. But when he saw the flyer, the rest sort of played out on its own. He still wasn't sure why he was going through with it, but he figured he'd try out this band until he got tired of it. It wasn't like they were extremely popular anyways.

He closed his eyes, tossing the little robin carving somewhere on the bed.

"Hey Dick!" A pounding came down on his door. He groaned and turned on his side, trying to ignore the familiar voice of his little brother. The pounding came again, only this time more vigorously, and Robin cursed under his breath.

"What the hell?!" He shouted back. This seemed to be a good enough invitation for the 14 year old boy to barge into the room. He stood over his brother, crossing his arms.

"Jason freaking ran off again!" He complained angrily. "How the hell am I supposed to study when that jerk is off somewhere smoking pot?!"

Robin sighed.

"He's not smoking pot, Tim. Ask Alfred to find him." That wasn't the answer Tim wanted to hear.

"How would you know if he smokes pot or not if you never ask him?!" His voice was giving the spikey haired teen a headache. "Alfred isn't telling me anything. You're the oldest, do something about this!" He nudged Robin a few times, but the kid remained as stiff as a plank.

"He'll come back eventually." He murmured. Tim frowned.

"So you're just gonna let him do whatever the hell he wants?"

He didn't respond. Eventually, after a long moment of silence, Tim clicked his tongue and turned to leave.

"Some brother you are..." He muttered just loud enough for Robin to hear, slamming to door behind him.

Once he was gone, Robin turned on his back and rolled his eyes. He slipped off his black shades and threw an arm over his tired lids, groaning low in his throat.

"It's not like I can actually do anything about it.." He reasoned with himself. Sighing, Robin sat up and put his shades back on. He looked around his room and rested his eyes on his electric guitar standing seductively in the corner. His lips curved slightly at the edges.

He walked over to grab the beautiful instrument and sat back down on his bed. After a bit of tuning, Robin began playing the familiar strings to Smells Like Teen Spirit.

* * *

Raven considered herself to be a pretty decent person. She didn't steal. She always chewed her food with her mouth closed. She got straight A's. She hasn't murdered anyone yet (though some rumors floating around their school may suggest otherwise.) The point is, she wasn't a bad girl. So she didn't understand why the _hell_ she had to be put through this torture every single day.

"Hey Raven, pull my finger!" The idiot (A.K.A Garfield) spoke between giggles. She didn't bother looking up from her book, though her fingers did clench tighter around the soft pages at the sound of his terribly annoying voice.

"No." She stated simply, effectively keeping her cool. It seemed like the kid wasn't going to give up so easily. he scooted his desk chair closer to her, leaning his elbows into the bubble of her personal space. Her eyebrow twitched.

"C'moooon! I promise it's not the same joke from yesterday." He said with an annoyingly wide smile. Raven returned it with one she only hoped was as terrible as the thoughts flying through her head.

"Again. No." She said, turning back to her book. She could practically feel his atmosphere falter beside her. But still, the little pest refused to take no for an answer.

"Okay, well then let's play a game!" He said, leaning closer to her. She rolled her eyes but didn't bother answering him.

"Pleeeaase, Rae-Rae? I'm bored!" He tried to explain.

Surprisingly, she could understand why. They were currently in homeroom but for some reason their teacher had yet to appear. Raven managed to catch a glimpse of her speaking with some girl and the principal in the office on her way inside. That was probably why she was taking so long. Still, it was completely irresponsible to leave a bunch of teenagers in a room alone for more than ten minutes, in Raven's humble opinion. Currently, students were standing by each other's desks, gossiping and making up stupid theories about her absence. Raven, of course, wasn't interested in such pointless affairs, so she decided to read a book while they waited. Or at least try to read. It was pretty hard to concentrate when a certain someone kept talking right by her ear.

"We can play something simple? Like 21 questions!" He suggested.

"Alright, I have a question. Are you retarded?"

Beast Boy's face fell.

"Um-"

"I've been sending you signals left and right but it seems you just can't take a hint. Sometimes I wonder if there's even a brain inside that big head of yours."

The short teen was baffled. He frowned, lowering his head.

 _Of course. How could I have been so blind?_

"Oh my gosh, Rae, I'm so sorry," He started, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "you should have told me sooner."

Raven sighed in relief, turning back to her book.

"You obviously have a crush on me."

She snapped her head back at him.

"What the? No-"

"Baby, it's okay. I get it. But it could never work out between us." He leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on the empty desk adjacent from them. "You see, I'm sort of a wild spirit. You wouldn't wanna get mixed up with a player like me." By the look on his face, he was being completely serious. Raven's eyes practically rolled out of her head.

"Seriously. A brain. You should look into getting one."

"Excuse me, class! Everyone take their seats!" Their homeroom teacher announced as she walked in. Beast Boy (finally) went back to his respective seat.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to take care of a few things down in the office." She cleared her throat. "We have a new student with us today. She's transferring straight from Venezuela, Cuba, so please be nice." She looked to her right where the door rested open, beckoning at an unknown figure. "Come on in, sweetie." She said with a smile.

The first thing everyone seemed to notice was the girl's long fire red hair trailing behind her as she walked into the classroom. Her skin was a golden shade and she was very tall for her age, almost reaching the teacher's height. She wore a soft pink blouse and a checker patterned skirt. But what stood out the most were her bright green eyes that shined when reflecting the lights in the room. To say she was beautiful was an understatement.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" The teacher suggested. The exotic looking girl nodded and positioned herself in the center of the classroom.

"Greetings." She spoke up with a bright smile. Her speech was heavily accented, but it was rather charming to listen to.

"My name is Kori Anders. Pleased to meet you!" She said. The classroom had never been so silent.

But of course, Beast Boy was the first one to break it.

"Dude, she's hot."

Raven rolled her eyes.

" _Boys_."

* * *

A/N I love the 90s :D

Thanks for your follows and comments guys, it really makes me feel good :3

Songs used were:

Green Day - When I Come Around

The Smashing Pumpkins - Today

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

(and of course) Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Quickie question? Do things feel like they're rushing? Maybe it's too soon to tell lol (I get really paranoid when I'm this inspired)


	3. Chapter 3

Kori's palms were beginning to sweat. She held her hands behind her back and silently grimaced at the clamminess that came upon her when they touched. Obviously, she was feeling nervous. It was partly due to the fact that she was in a whole new country with no real connections to anyone except her dad, whom, one might add, she had only met a few weeks ago. The other part was probably because of all the odd stares her new classmates were giving her. Well, all safe for one girl sitting in the back with her nose stuck in a book. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gave a nervous chuckle.

 _Just continue smiling, Kori. Everybody loves a smile!_

"lovely introduction, miss Anders. You may have a seat ah..." The teacher looked around the room for any empty desks. Her eyes scanned across the room and eventually landed on the dark haired girl sitting in the back. She smiled. "There! Beside Raven. Raven will you raise your hand, please?" Said girl groaned audibly, but regardless, lifted her hand up without tearing her eyes from her book. Kori thanked the lady and sat down in her new desk, keeping her posture straight so as to not disturb her new neighbor.

She side glanced at Raven, smiling at the way her ebony hair fell over her features like a loose blanket. Clearing her throat, Kori slowly leaned towards the girl.

"Hello..." she whispered with a soft grin, "I'm Kori Anders."

"So I heard." She replied with no interested at all. The taller of the two coughed awkwardly, but didn't falter.

"So...are you reading a book?" She asked in persistence. Raven sighed and closed it shut.

"Not anymore."

The girl smiled sheepishly and leaned back in her seat.

"Don't mind her. She's like this with everybody." Beast Boy popped his blonde head around Raven. "I'm Beast Boy, by the way." He said with a wink and pressed onto Raven's desk to get a better view of the girl. Kori giggled as the girl slapped his arm away.

"Hello _Beast Boy_ " She said, then paused. "Is Beast Boy your actual name?"

He grinned widely.

"Woah, your accent is super dope!" He complimented. Kori furrowed her brows.

"Oh, um, thank you very much!" She couldn't notice any accent, but then again she never paid attention to her voice when she spoke.

"Sure thing! To answer your question, Beast Boy ain't my actual name. It's just a nickname." He said. Kori tilted her head.

"How did you get such a nickna-mmh!" Raven quickly placed a hand over the girl's mouth.

" _Don't_." She said, shooting the blonde one a glare.

"Aww, c'mon, Rae. Don't be so uptight!"

"I wouldn't be so uptight if you would just act like a normal person." She gritted out. the youngest of the three frowned, but she knew it would take way more than that to kill his ever-growing ego.

"Well, I'll have you know I am a very normal person with a very normal nickname."

"Just, please shut up Garfield." She sighed.

"it's Beast Boy."

"No, it's _Garfield_."

"Um...I am..confused." Kori said from behind them, gently pulling Raven's hand away from her mouth.

"Just...pay attention." Raven ordered and turned towards the front where their teacher began giving them a lecture. Kori nodded abruptly and leaned back in her seat. Beast Boy, on the other hand, groaned and slouched in his chair.

After about an hour of a pretty confusing lecture Kori made her way out of the classroom. She tried to strike up a conversation with that Raven girl once the bell rang, but said girl walked out of the classroom so fast she barely caught sight of her. Beast Boy soon followed after her, but not before offering Kori a wave goodbye. She had probably waved back with a little too much excitement, because her other classmates were starting to give her weird stares. The girl smiled awkwardly and slowly put her hand back down.

It seemed like making new friends would be harder than she thought.

* * *

"Alright dudes, ready to rock some socks off?" Beast Boy asked his other two band members who were currently inhabiting his garage. Cyborg hit the high hat as his answer and Robin gave a thumbs up once his guitar was finely tuned. Beast Boy grinned and placed his fingers on the keys of his synth.

"Alright boys, 1979! HIT IT!"

Cyborg counted off the song with his drumsticks.

"1, 2, 1 2 3" He hit the snare and began leading the easy tempo. Robin chimed in, strumming his guitar in line with the beat of the drums. Beast Boy eventually came in with his synth and cleared his throat.

" _Shakedown, 1979_..." He sang in his quirky boy voice. It was far from perfect, but there was a certain charm to the flimsy way he sang.

" _Cool kids never have the time_..."

" _uhhh...Blah, Blah, I don't remember the words...but that's fine.._ " He improvised, earning strange looks from his band mates. The blonde boy simply ignored them and grinned, bringing them into the chorus.

" _And I don't even care, to shake these zipper blues, and we don't know just where our bones will rest to dust I guess, forgotten and absorbed into the earth...below_."

His voice suddenly cracked and he stopped playing. The other two soon followed.

"What's the deal?" Robin asked. He was kind of feeling that one.

"Dudes..." Beast Boy made his way around his synth and sat down on the amp in front of the two. "Something's not right."

"like your brain?"

The youngest shot Cyborg a glare before continuing.

"No, man, I'm talking _musically_!" He stood up and tapped his foot on the concrete of his garage, rubbing the non-existent hairs on his chin in thought. Cyborg rolled his eye. "Like, when we got Robin, I was pretty sure this band got as good as it could get but...something's still missing..."

"Yeah, there is something off. I think we need a new guitarist."

Robin snorted.

"Or a new drummer..."

"Guys can yall stop harshing my mellow for like one second?!" He growled out. The two looked up.

"Okay, overreaction much?"

Beast Boy sighed.

"I know what this group needs."

"A name change?" Robin suggested.

"No, what we need are _girls_."

The two stared at each other for a second.

"Uh...you mean like groupies?" Cyborg asked cautiously. Beast Boy's face contorted in disgust.

"No, not groupies! _girls_! As in, female members for this band!" He explained. "You know? They're like us, except they have boobs and periods and shit. Does that not ring a bell?" Cyborg clicked his tongue.

"I know what a girl is you idiot. But no."

"No?"

Yeah, no. As in, that's a terrible idea! We can't have girls in our band! It'll totally ruin our dynamic!"

"What dynamic? We barely get along, much less stick to one genre of music." Robin quipped.

"Okay, why did you audition for this band again?" Cyborg asked.

"Guys!" Beast Boy cut off their bickering. "I'm just saying, having females would totally up our performance. This band is just a hopeless sausage fest at the moment. Plus, girls in a band is like, super hot."

"I can't disagree there." Robin chipped in. "Except that no girl is gonna wanna join a band called BBCB and the Barrels, especially with a flyer that sounds like it was written by some middle aged pervert."

Beast Boy frowned.

"Okay, but seriously, why _did_ you join this band?" He asked. Robin opened his mouth to explain, then shut it, not really sure of the answer himself.

"I actually gotta agree with hair gel on this one." Cyborg said. "Those flyers need some _mega_ revisions."

"But...I worked so hard on them..." The blonde pouted. The other two exchanged glances. Robin sighed and stood.

"Beast Boy, look" He placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. Said boy looked up with mock tears in his eyes. Robin fought the urge to roll his own eyes. Not that anyone would be able to tell if he did, though. "Think of it as a learning experience. I mean, didn't you have fun making those flyers? This is a chance to do it again, only ten times better." He tried to coax him. Beast Boy frowned.

"I guess..." He mumbled. " _Fine_ , I'll have them by tomorrow. But you can't go bugg'n on me if you don't like it! Whatever I bring to school tomorrow is final!" He said and crossed his arms. The other two sighed and Robin patted his back.

"Whatever you say. I'm gonna head out." He bent down to grab his guitar and swung it over one arm. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya."

* * *

" _Here_." Beast Boy said, shoving a stack of flyers in Robin's chest. Thankfully his quick reflexes managed to grab onto the papers before they made their way to the floor. He looked up and almost jumped at the sight of the boy in front of him.

"Uh...are you okay-"

"I stayed up till 5 in the morning working on those _damn_ flyers. We better have girls breaking down my freaking garage door for all the work I put into this junk." He muttered. Robin chuckled nervously.

"Uh...you did... good?" He said, flipping through the stack to examine the bright colored flyers.

 **!EXTRA WANTED! FEMALES FOR OUR HELLA AWESOME NEW BAND, BBCB AND THE BARRELS! SINGERS PREFERRED BUT ANYBODY WILL BE ACCEPTED. Find us at 710 Greenbird Ln, if nobody's home just wait on the back porch. REMEMBER, FAMALES ON LY! P.S, we have a super sexy guitar player, if ya know what I'm sayin' ;)**

"Uh, dude, you misspelled 'female'."

"What?!" Beast Boy snatched a flyer out of his hands and scanned it over with tired eyes. He groaned, spotting the typo almost immediately.

"Whatever. I'm gonna catch some Z's in algebra" He said and tossed the paper back to him. Robin shook his head, a subconscious smile coming onto his face. He watched his blonde bandmate retreat down the hallway before heading towards his own locker.

* * *

Kori stood in front of the school office with a small paper pressed in her hands. She gulped and smoothed out the crinkled edges, building up the courage to walk inside.

"It is fine, Kori, many new students forget where their locker is placed. You are in no way disturbing the office by asking to be lead to it again." She tried to reassure herself, but admittedly it wasn't doing her any good.

If only she had been paying attention to her homeroom teacher when she had led her to her assigned locker yesterday. Her head dipped down. No, it was her fault for not memorizing where it was, so she would have to deal with it on her own. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand.

"Locker number 63...It should not be so hard to find!" She made her way down the hallway, making sure to check the tiny numbers engraved above the lockers as she passed.

After about 5 minutes of searching (though it felt much longer in her mind) she finally spotted the 63 above one of the lockers. She smiled widely.

"Never have I been so happy to see a number!" She exclaimed and jogged over to the metal door. The redhead dialed in her code (which was written on the back of the paper) and opened it up. Or at least attempted to.

The door wouldn't budge. She pulled at the handle. Then again. And again. Still nothing. Kori frowned.

She huffed out a breath and rolled up her purple cotton sleeves, gripping the door handle and yanking hard.

Zilch.

The tan teen furrowed her brows, pressing a foot on the locker below for leverage and gripping onto the handle as hard as she could with both hands.

"Okay locker door, I have spent the last five minutes searching all over school for you, and I am not going to be late to class on my second day! If it has to come down between you and me, it is going to be _me_!" He declared, yanking as hard as she possibly could. Also, that line was totally not ripped off from a tv movie she had seen last night.

"Just...a...bit...more...THERE!"

The door swung open at the speed of light.

"OW."

She froze. Had she just hit someone or did her locker suddenly learn how to speak? Quickly she moved the door out of the way to spot a boy about her height clutching his face with his hand. Kori paused. And then the panicking ensued.

"Oh my goodness- I am terribly sorry! Are you alright?!" She questioned frantically. The boy didn't seem to be replying which only helped in worrying the girl even more. She placed her hands on his shoulders to try to get a better look at the damage, but he was keen on trying to avoid her line of vision. She noticed his hand desperately trying to cover his eyes. Kori's stomach nearly dropped to the floor.

"Oh no. Have I impaired your eyeballs? Are you to be blinded forever? Am I going to be put in jail?! No! I won't go back there!" She shouted and placed her face in her hands, earning strange looks from passing students. The crippled boy in front of her grunted in a mixture of pain and confusion.

In the midst of her mental crisis, Kori managed to catch a glimpse of something black lying on the floor beside her feet. She stopped whimpering and dropped her hands. Squatting down, Kori hesitantly lifted the object off the floor.

"...sunglasses?" She asked more to herself than anyone else. The boy seemed to perk up at the sounds of that. Kori slowly stood and passed them to him. "Are...these your glasses?" She asked. Before she could receive an answer, the boy snatched them from her hands and quickly slipped them on.

"Yeah.." He spoke, still rubbing his bruising nose.

"Really, I am sorry. It is because my locker would not open and so I tried to pry it open and then it suddenly-" Her jumbled words died down in her throat when she noticed the boy lifting his face. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, and she used that chance to actually examine him.

He was...handsome. His hair was pitch black and gelled in subtle spikes that Kori found kind of adorable, if she was being completely honest. What caught her attention, though, was how he wore his sunglasses even though they were inside. If she stared just hard enough, she could make out the downturned shape of his eyes. A tiny smile came onto her face. She clasped her hands behind her back, knowing full well that he was staring as well.

He abruptly cleared his throat and turned away, opening the locker beside Kori's.

"Just...don't let it happen again." His tone seemed annoyed, even though his cheeks were starting to redden. He kept rubbing his nose, and Kori frowned a bit, turning to her own locker to grab her books for her class. She side glanced at the boy.

"I really am sorry..." She mumbled, closing her door shut (carefully this time). "My name is Kori Anders, by the way. It is...nice to meet you!" She offered, despite the circumstances of their meeting. After a few moments he seemed to get the hint.

"I'm Richard." He said, moving his nose around on his face. Kori fought the urge to giggle.

"Hello Richard." Her tone was a little too chipper given the situation, but thankfully she caught herself and looked down at her shoes. She felt really bad about this. It was barely her second day at this school and she was already busting classmates' noses. There had to be some way she could make it up to him. She thought for a moment.

"Please, I will make _that_..." She gestured towards his nose, and he quickly covered the bruised feature, "...up to you. If you will let me, I can perhaps buy you lun-"

The bell suddenly blared through the hallways. Students began scurrying off to class and Kori quickly glanced at the clock.

"Oh no..." she mumbled to herself. Robin gave the girl one last lingering glance.

"I uh...gotta get to class." He said, clearing his throat.

"R-right. Of course! So do I..." She trailed off. Robin shut his locker and briskly walked away, failing to notice a single flyer slipping out of his pocket as he did so.

Kori looked down at the floor and immediately noticed the flyer. She pick it up quickly. "Wait! You forgot your..."

He was gone.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Kori examined the flyer, the green bubble letters catching her attention.

"Singers preferred..."

A smile stretched across her face. She tucked the flyer into her textbook and hastily made her way to class.

* * *

"Dude seriously, what the hell happened to your nose?" Cyborg asked for the millionth time. They were seated by the large window in Jimbo's diner, the one by Beast Boy's house, trying to get some food in their bellies before band practice. Robin grumbled and tried his best to cover the now very visible bruise with his hand.

"Come off it..." He mumbled. Beast Boy clicked his tongue.

"Listen homie, if you're gonna be an official barrel of this band, ya gotta learn that me and Cy know _everything about each other_. There's no secrets with us, bro. And now, there's no secrets with you either." He said with a toothy grin, throwing an arm over his shoulder. Cyborg snorted.

"Yeah, that's what _you_ think."

"Oh c'mon Cy, you have no secrets from me. We're practically blood brothers!" He exclaimed.

"I do too have secrets from you!"

"Oh yeah? Like what!"

"Can't tell you, then they wouldn't be secrets."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. We have better things to talk about anyways. Like did you guys hand out the flyers I gave you?"

Cyborg and Robin suddenly got quiet. Beast Boy straightened up in his seat.

"You...did hand out the flyers I gave you. _Right_?" He asked again in a harsher tone. He did not stay up until 5 in the morning just so these slack offs could forget to pass out the flyers.

"See, I was gonna pass them out, but then I ran into that mofo _Speedy_. That guy is like beyond bunk. He made me late for geometry. My whole day was ruined. I couldn't even think about the flyers." Cyborg lied casually.

"Yeah, and uh, I got my nose busted up. I had to like, go to the infirmary and stuff. No time to pass out flyers, man." Robin lied less casually. It seemed Beast Boy wasn't buying any of that. He crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah? How'd you bust up your nose anyway? Did some girl hit you?" He snickered. Robin frowned.

"Uh, yes actually."

"Wait, for real?!" Beast Boy shouted. He paused. "Was she cute?"

Cyborg groaned.

Richard actually took a second to think about the question. He remembered how worried Kori's bright green eyes looked while she was trying to apologize, Her long red hair swishing back and forth in the midst of her panic. He smiled softly to himself.

"She was." He said more to himself than the other three occupying their little space.

Wait, three?

"As touching as this is, I need to take your orders." Raven spoke up from beside the table, wearing the diner's bright red apron and her signature monotone face.

Beast Boy turned her way and smirked.

"Aw baby, you know you're still my number one girl." He said, leaning close to her. She didn't even flinch.

"So Garfield will have a mineral water, what will you guys have?" She asked Cyborg and Robin, ignoring the small scowl and "it's beast boy" remark he gave her.

"Raven right? I'm Victor, but my friends call me Cyborg. We saw each other last time." He smiled, something that Raven didn't bother to return. He coughed nervously. "Uh, _anyways_ , I'll have a coke and two double cheese burgers with bacon and a fried egg in the middle."

Raven wrote down the order, but not before rolling her eyes at the amount of food this guy claimed he could eat. Cyborg felt very judged at the moment. She turned to Robin with an expectant look, cocking an eyebrow at the shades resting over his eyes.

"Uh, I'll have a sprite and the jalapeño nachos." He requested, handing her his menu. She took their menus and walked away, ignoring the faux puppy eyes Beast Boy was giving her as she left.

He cleared his throat, noticing his bandmates were staring at him.

"She'll get me food. Don't worry." He said, but even he highly doubted that.

* * *

After the three ate (Beast Boy had begged the others to give him some of their food when Raven showed up empty handed) they came back to the blonde boy's garage and were currently lounging around on the floor.

"This garage needs a sofa." Cyborg commented from on top of his drum stool.

"Seconded." Beast Boy agreed from his place on the floor.

"We could always just go to the living room. It's not like we're practicing anyways." Robin suggested. Beast Boy was quick to shut down that idea.

"No way dude, Rita's doing yoga right now. She will not hesitate to make you join her. Cyborg made that mistake one time when he went in to grab a soda."

"It was horrible..." Cyborg muttered, looking off into the distance.

"Uh... _okay_. Then yeah, this room needs a sofa."

They heard a knock on the garage door and stopped their pointless chatter. Cyborg looked at the others.

"Um...who the hell is that?" He said, looking between Robin and Beast Boy. I mean, they were all here weren't they?

Beast Boy shot up.

"Dudes, it must be an audition! Yall _did_ pass out my flyers! I knew you were just joshin' me!" He exclaimed, running over and lifting up the garage door by the handle. Robin and Cyborg gave each other a look.

Nobody was there.

"...That's wonky, yall heard the knock too, right?" He asked. The others nodded.

"Hmmm...oh! They must have gone to the back!" He said.

"Dude, I don't think-" Before Cyborg could finish, the blonde took off behind the house. He sighed.

"That kid needs to take a chill pill I swear." He muttered, and Robin nodded in agreement. It seemed the only time they agreed is when it had to do with Beast Boy.

"Guys, look who it is!" Speaking of the devil, said boy came running back into the garage, pulling an all too familiar looking girl by the hand alongside him. She seemed a little flustered, but kept a polite smile on her face.

"...Kori?" Robin spoke up. Kori turned towards him and smiled sheepishly when she spotted his damaged nose.

"Guys, this is Kori Anders. She transferred to my homeroom like, yesterday ago!" Beast Boy said a bit too excitedly. "She's from, like, Cuba!"

Robin noticed Beast Boy said the word 'like' more when he was excited.

"g-greetings." She said. "I saw your flyer and wished to come for the audition...if possible."

"I will never get over your accent!"

"Ah, thank you?" She replied with a light giggle. Beast Boy grinned in response. He loved making people laugh. Bonus points if it was a cute girl.

"Anyways, you already know me. I rock the synth/keyboard. This is Cyborg, our drummer." He pointed at Cyborg.

"Hey little lady! FYI, my name is actually Victor." He spoke up from behind his drum set. Kori greeted him properly.

 _I suppose everybody uses nicknames in America._

"Right. And that's Robin on guitar." He gestured to Robin, who wasn't sure what to do except smile awkwardly at the girl. She looked at him strangely.

"Robin?" But wasn't his name Richard? Or was that just a nickname? Or maybe Robin was the nickname? She was very confused.

"Yeah." Beast Boy leaned close to her and spoke in a hushed tone. "Don't mind the nose. He got hit by a girl." He snickered. Kori chuckled along nervously. All she could really do was give Robin an apologetic smile.

"So Kori," Cyborg addressed the girl, rising from his seat, "You said you're here for an audition, right? What do you play?"

"play?" She asked.

"Yeah, you know, like guitar? bass? keyboards?"

Kori thought for a moment.

"Oh...oh! I do not actually play an instrument." She admitted bashfully. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, then uh, what _do_ you do?" The drummer asked.

"I sing!" She said proudly, placing her hands behind her back.

"Dope." Beast Boy commented. "Well then, show us what you got!"

Kori looked around.

"Oh um, may I sing any song?" She asked, a little blindsided at the that pace this "audition" was going. Robin resisted the urge to smile. Beast Boy nodded with a grin, sitting his butt on the concrete floor of their garage.

"Course'! Whenever you're ready."

"Okay then..." She cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She tended to do that a lot when she was nervous. Her eyes scanned over the expectant faces of the boys in the room, her lips stretching when they rested upon Robin. After taking a few deep breathes, Kori closed her eyes and slowly began to sing.

 _"Well I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don't really care for music, do you?"_

"She's singing Hallelujah..." Beast Boy noted under his breath with a pleasant grin on his face. He was obviously already enjoying it.

 _"Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing Hallelujah~"_

 _"Hallelujah, Hallelujah,_

 _Hallelujah..._

 _Hallelujah~"_

Her voice was soft and heady, but held an audible strength behind each note that kept her grounded. She flowed through the melody like she had been doing this forever, and her face scrunched slightly in a show of passion for the art. Robin was enraptured.

 _"Your faith was strong but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you..._

 _she tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke you throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah~_

 _Hallelujah.._

 _Hallelujah_

 _Hallelujah..._

 _Hallelujah~"_

Kori faded out her voice with practiced ease and slowly opened her eyes. She gazed at the three boys in the room, unable to read their silent expressions. It seemed to be a mixture of awe and amazement. She hoped that meant something good.

Robin gulped slowly, staring at the redhead with intense eyes. He didn't know why his chest suddenly felt tight, but he knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

A/N Ohohoho, so the duo finally meet~

I don't know if you guys noticed, but I changed the year in the beginning of chapter 1 from 1996 to 1993. I thought the story might be able to embody more of the 90s culture if it took place earlier in the decade.

Songs used were:

1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins

Hallelujah - various artists. But Jeff Buckley's version is my favorite if you wanna check it out ;)

Also, I'm kind of ignoring what year these songs came out. I'm really just using any song from the 90s that I love, so if the song came out in 97 but I'm using it for 93, just know, _I know_.

So I start classes next week, meaning I will probably be drowning in work by then. I will try to update again before school starts but I also have to prepare and stuff so my updates are most likely going to be slower until my next break (which is winter break I think) But who knows, maybe I'll grow 6 more arms and be able to get all my school work done _and_ update frequently! Please pray that I do, I really don't want to be buried under school work for the next few months ;-;

okay then, thanks for your reviews and favorites! peace out.

(P.S I only read this over twice so sorry for any typos or funny sentences)


	4. Chapter 4

"Um...was I not good?" Kori suddenly asked the three. They had been staring at her for quite a long time after she finished, she wondered if maybe they were trying to find the right way to put her down without hurting her feelings. She frowned. Kori was a big girl, after all, she could handle it.

"Uhh...if by not good you mean freakin' awesome, then you were terrible!" Beast Boy exclaimed. He got to his feet and grabbed the girl's arms in excitement. She wasn't quite sure she understood that, but it sounded positive?

"Seriously, you're amazing! Where did you learn to sing like that?" He asked. The redhead chuckled, her nervousness slowly ebbing away.

"Oh, I've been in choir since I was 6 years old. I've always loved singing!" She admitted. Beast Boy nodded in approval.

"Those were some tight pipes, little lady!" Cyborg said from behind his drumset. Kori thanked him gratefully.

"Yeah..." Robin spoke up. He cleared his throat a bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You uh...sing good." He complimented with the tiniest of smiles. She smiled sweetly at him, finding his shyness rather endearing.

"You're totally in!" The blonde exclaimed, yet again making decisions without anyone's consent. Cyborg scowled.

Hey, he wanted Kori to be a part of this group as much as anyone else, but it wouldn't hurt to consult him about it. What was the point of having _co-leaders_ if there wasn't gonna be any _co-decision making_.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat with crossed arms.

"So, you'll be down to comin' here after school everyday, right? That's usually when we practice."

"A-a-ahem!" Cyborg croaked louder.

"Oh! And you're definitely gonna need a stage name! Kori's cool, but we could totally do something better! So what do you think of-"

"AHEM."

"I think Cyborg's having a stroke." Robin commented. Beast Boy finally stopped his babbling, releasing Kori (who seemed quite relieved.)

"You comin' down with something?" He asked, genuinely concerned for his best friend's health. I mean, if Cyborg got sick, who was gonna drive him to school? The bus?

He cringed at the mere thought.

"Nah, numbskull! I need to talk to you for a minute." He spoke up and abruptly dragged Beast Boy out of the garage, leaving Robin and Kori to stare questionably at their retreating backs.

"The hell is your problem?!" The youngest shouted. Cyborg scowled.

"Don't take that tone with me, ya lil booger! Do you want BBCB and the Barrels to become BB and the Barrels?!" He asked theateningly. Beast Boy actually had to think for a moment.

"That actually has a nice ring to it..." He murmered, earning a smack on the head from his infuriated pal.

"Cut the crap! Since when did you start making all the leader decisions?! This is our band! Not yours!" He shouted.

"Hey man, I was just going with the flow! Kori was freakin' dope, yo! What more needs to be said?!" He yanked his arm out of Cyborg's iron grasp and crossed them over his chest.

"I know she's dope, but you could at least talk to me about it! We're supposed to be a team, dawg!"

The younger of the two furrowed his brows, meeting the glare of his dirty white sneakers.

"No, you're right bro...I'm sorry," He looked up with a tiny grin, "forgive and forget?" He asked, stretching out his arms and adorning his best puppy-dog eyes.

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy's annoyingly beautiful blue orbs with a frown. Ah, damn, He couldn't stay mad at the little fartbag for long.

"Fine, whatever, just ask me about these things next time." He pushed the blonde's head playfully. Beast Boy nodded.

"So she's in? Sweet!" He yelled out, bolting back inside.

Meanwhile, Kori was twittling her fingers in front of herself, unable to look away from the huge bruise incasing Robin's nose.

"Truly, I am sorry about that...is it painful?" She asked. Robin seemed to be staring into space with an odd expression, obviously not hearing the question that just came out of her mouth.

"Um...hello?"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it. It looks worse than it feels." He told her, holding his nose between his fingers.

"I promise I will make it up to you!" She apologized for probably the hundreth time. Robin shook his head.

"look, I already told you, it's no problem. Just don't let it happen again."

Kori wanted to believe him, but the unnatural way his nose kept twitching told her he was probably lying.

"No, but I want to! Please, it will make me feel better if I make it up to you." She said, subconsciously drawing closer to the boy, who backed up with an awkward step.

"Look...really it's fine." He held up his arms in front of himself when she drew even closer to get a good look at his face. For some reason, he found it hard to look directly into her eyes. They were twinkling in a painfully cartoon-like fashion, it felt like they could blind him, even if he was wearing his shades.

"It is not fine for me! Please..."

Beast Boy suddenly ran through the large gap of the open garage door.

"Dude! Okay, now you're _definitely_ in!" He shouted, running over to Kori and giving her a congradulatory hug. Robin cringed. Beast Boy was way too physical for his (or really, anyone's) liking sometimes.

"Oh, this is joyous news!" She hugged the boy back, giggling in her naturally giddy fashion. The youngest member didn't think he'd ever get over her accent.

"Congratulations, red. Welcome to BBCB and the Barrels!" Cyborg shouted as he walked in.

"Thank you, new fellow band mates! And might I say, that is a charming name for a band!" She shouted back. Beast Boy released the girl and leaned in towards his favorite guitarist.

"See? she likes the name."

Robin could only sigh in defeat.

* * *

"Goodbye, miss De'marco!" Kori waved on her way out of her English Ed class. The teacher smiled and waved back at the girl, reminding her to do her homework for the day before class tomorrow. She looked at the long list of English words on the packet she was expected to learn by tomorrow and sighed. Why did the English language have to be so complicated? On the way out she passed by a few of her (also foreign) classmates, smiling and waving at them. Most of them stared in awe of her unique appearance, but none-the-less didn't bother to wave back. She sighed. Why were people so afraid to approach her? She didn't think she looked all that intimidating.

She made her way out of the small metal building behind the main school and walked across the field where various sports classes were being held. It would be a real hassle for any other girl to have to walk across the long field everyday for one class, but thankfully Kori was pretty athletic. It was one of the traits she admired about herself. She hummed a soft tune under her breath, checking the time on her wrist watch. It was almost time for lunch. The girl hoped she wouldn't have to eat alone like she did yesterday and the day before that. But it wasn't like she had any friends to eat with either.

 _I could attempt to look for Beast Boy and the others..._ She thought to herself, slightly hopeful. But what was the relationship between bandmates supposed to be, anyways? She didn't have a clue. It was her first time joining one, after all. Maybe asking to eat lunch together was stepping over the line.

While she walked towards the double doors at the end of the expanse of land, drowned in her thoughts, she completely missed a baritone voice yell "Watch out!" from behind her.

Suddenly a football came crashing into the side of her head, knocking the girl on her side. Kori barely had time to register what happened when a strong hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her up.

"Hey, you okay girlie?" A semi-familiar voice spoke close to her face. Kori managed to snap out of her haze long enough to be met with a brown eye and red glass eye staring back at her. She blinked a few times and was eventually able to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh uh...yes I am fine. You are...Victo-ah, Cyborg, yes?" She followed him with her eyes as he bent down to pick up her school bag and the football that smacked into her head a moment ago.

"Yeah haha. You sure you okay? You look like you just saw bigfoot or something!" He commented, handing her the bag, which was received with a small "thank you."

"uh...Oh yes! Do not worry!" She reassured him. The girl blinked her eyes a few times and looked up to be met with his once again. For some reason she couldn't stop staring at his left eye. It was completely encased in a red glass material and glistened in the sunlight, giving an ominous feeling to his already intimidating appearance. She wondered if he could see through it properly. Cyborg seemed to have caught onto what was keeping the girl so quiet, and frowned a bit. Though he should have been used to this by now.

"Scared?" He asked. That seemed to snap her out of her daze. She quickly shook her head.

"Oh, no! I just...well..." the girl trailed off, looking at the neatly trimmed grass below their feet, "how did you get that?" She asked him, unable to hide her curiosity. He remained quiet, and Kori got the feeling that was a very personal question she shouldn't have asked.

"Of course, you do not have to tell me if you do not wish to!" She quickly added on. The sight of her frantic green eyes seemed to unhinge Cyborg's mood a bit. He laughed and held his hands up in an easygoing manner. Man, pretty girls sure were hard to get mad at.

"Don't go into hysterics, girl, it's all good-"

"YO PINK EYE, TOSS THE FREAKIN' BALL!" a tan looking guy shouted from across the field.

"EAT MY SHORTS, BITCH!" Cyborg shot back, chucking the ball across the expanse of land and effectively nailing the guy in the chest. Kori stared at the exchange with a small cringe. He cleared his throat and turned back towards her, flashing an innocent smile.

"Hey, got some time? It's like half passed lunch anyway."

She stared at him for a few moments.

Then a bright smile slowly spread across her face.

They sat near the top of the bleachers, watching as the football team began drilling for their practice session. Cyborg stretched and pulled out his hefty meatball sandwich, leaving Kori in awe. She stared at him as he tore a huge chunk off with his teeth, a little marinara sauce drippling down his chin. The large teen swallowed the bite and looked over at the girl beside him, almost forgetting Kori was there with such a seductive sandwich in his hands.

"Oh, sorry! I must've left my table manners at home or something!" He laughed at himself, and the girl eventually giggled along with him.

"Oh no! It's just..." she reached into her school bag and pulled out an equally large turkey sub, "I've never encountered someone with the same appetite as myself!" Her voice rang out cheerily. She yanked a bite off with her own teeth and Cyborg's jaw nearly fell to the floor.

"...Ya know, you alright, cutie." He chuckled.

"Actually, it is pronounced ko-ri." She stated matter of factly. Cyborg merely snorted.

They sat in comfortable silence, each one enjoying their sandwich too much to start a conversation. Once Kori finished her sub, she swallowed slowly and wiped a few crumbs from her mouth, glancing at her new bandmate with attentive eyes. He was sporting a pricey looking hoody and some fresh blue jeans.

"You don't seem to be wearing a football uniform...why are you on the football field?" She asked suddenly. Cyborg gulped down the last of his meatball sub and used the back of his palm to wipe off the excess sauce from his mouth.

"Oh...I ain't actually on the team...I sorta just come here to watch." He said slightly bashful. The redhead stared at him. He obviously seemed to enjoy the sport with the way he gazed at the players running across the field.

"So why have you not joined?" She asked him. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well for one, my parents would have my head if they found out I joined. They ain't exactly keen on me playing in a sport. All I should be doing is focusing on my studies so I can get into "med school." He said the word with air quotes, leaning back on the bleachers behind them. "Yeah, all those times I've gone over to BB's for band practice, they thought I was going to study." He chuckled to himself, pleased that he's been able to fool the old fogies for so long. "And actually, I did try out before the semester started, but..." The teen trailed off, a tiny pout gracing his lips. Kori leaned in.

"But?"

"But...I didn't get in. Turns out the team wasn't so thrilled at the thought of me joinin' them either...and that wacked coach had a problem with me. Claimed I was a "disability" or whatever." He held up the air quotes again, then shrugged. "But well, what can a fella do?"

"That is preposterous!" She bolted up, knuckles in a fist. Cyborg nearly fell off his seat.

"Well, I mean, there's more to it-"

"How low can a man be to deny an eager and well fitted teenager from playing his favorite sport?! It is simply preposterous!" Kori shouted. Cyborg stared at her with a wide eye. The girl eventually noticed his surprise and tucked a hair behind her ear awkwardly, sitting back down in a polite manner.

"Ah, excuse me, but if you play well then there is no reason why you shouldn't be permitted to join, yes?" She inquired.

The boy couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter.

"...are you alright?" Kori asked, a little alarmed and slightly scared(?)

"You keep surprising me, red, you know that? You're a good friend" He grinned, getting up (albeit stiffly) and ruffling the girl's fire colored hair.

"... _Friend_?" The word came out unsure, as if she was asking whether he had used it in the right context.

"Yeah, _friend._ " He smiled simply.

She smiled back, a bubbly feeling rising in her stomach.

 _Friend_. She liked the sound of that.

* * *

Robin didn't really understand how it happened, but for some reason Kori was currently leaning against the wall by Cyborg's drumset, chatting him up like they were old time buddies or something. He gazed at them from the corner of his eyes, hands occupied with tuning his fine guitar.

"Ahahah, that is very true Cyborg!" She suddenly called out, "lightly" shoving Cyborg's shoulder. Said boy chuckled back gingerly, rubbing the spot where her "playful punch" had landed. Dang, this girl must've lifted in her free time or something.

"Shit!" Robin yelped, stuffing his bleeding index finger into his mouth. He had been so distracted he didn't even notice his poor digit scrape against the elongated top string that he had been meaning to cut off his guitar. Like damn, first his nose now this?

Kori furrowed her brows and walked over to her bandmate.

"Are you-"

"AYE KIDS, WANNA DO SOME COKE?!" Beast Boy barged into the garage from the door leading into his home, arms full of coke bottles. Cyborg rolled his eyes, easily catching the one tossed to him.

"What happened to your jokes? Drop 'em on the way over here?" He teased.

"step off, tin-head."

"I would love to do some coke!" Kori rejoiced, not quite sure what she was saying, but maybe it was some strange English way of asking for a can of soda? She hopped over to BB and grabbed one for her and Robin, the blondie's giggling face going unnoticed.

"Anyways," he started, shaking off any bit of laughter he had left, "what are we gonna do about this wonky situation?!"

"What wonky situation?" Robin asked while popping open his soda can (not using his cut hand, of course).

"What wonky situation?! In case you haven't noticed, _Robin_ , we're still callin' Kori by her real name! It's bogus!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms about and almost forgetting he had an open soda can in his grip.

"And?"

" _And? AND?!_ "

"Just cut to the chase, freckle face." Cyborg deadpanned. He perked up. "Hey that rhymed!"

"Dude, I don't even have that many freckles?" He shook his head. " _Anyways,_ what I was saying was, we need to think of a stage name for our new favorite redhead!" Beast Boy walked over to her and squeezed her bare shoulders. Ah, touching girls was nice. Beast Boy has been hanging out with that brute of a cyborg for _way_ too long.

"Bro, she's like the _only_ redhead you know. You can't really have a favorite if there's only one."

"Can too! I'd choose Kori over Alyson Hannigan any day! And you _know_ how hard I crush on that sexy redhead!"

"Who the hell is Halligan Annison?" Robin piped.

"Perhaps an old girlfriend?"Kori asked. Beast Boy's jaw nearly dropped.

"It's _Alyson Hannigan_! Not- whatever the hell you just said! And if she was my old girlfriend, I totally wouldn't be a virgin right now!"

"Woah dude! TMI!" Cyborg suddenly yelled.

"You're one to talk, Popeye, bragging about how you were "pretty hot stuff before the eye" Robin said the last bit with air quote gestures.

"What the- popeye?! You tryina start somethin', Hairgel?!"

"I don't even use that much hairgel!" Robin edged closer. The taller of the two grinned.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your hair being drowned in some 99 cent store bullshit!"

"Take that back!"

"Make me, 4 feet!"

"4 feet?! You're like the size of godzilla!"

"Oh yeah?! Well-...so is your face!"

"Woah! Weren't you bros over this?!" Beast Boy stepped in.

"FUCK OFF, BEAST BOY!" They said in unison, going back to their bickering. Said boy whimpered, quickly hiding behind their newest member.

"Oh snap, they're droppin' the F bomb! Kori, you gotta do something about them! Use your woman's touch or something!" She furrowed her brows, not really sure if she wanted to get between the two, but they did seem to be getting more verbally violent as time went on. She huffed and quickly placed herself between the two bickering teens before any rough-housing could start.

"Excuse me, but is this how friends should be behaving with one another?!" She scolded. Cyborg and Robin looked at each other in semi-disgust.

" _friends_?"

"Yes, _friends_. Now, we have gotten too far off the topic! You two must help me think of a stage name before our band session is over! Can you cease your bickering until then?!" She asked in a firm tone. The two looked at each other sourly, but caved anyway.

"Fine..."

" _Fine_."

"Good!"

Beast Boy popped back in, having watched the encounter from a safe distance, "you're already becoming a great asset to this band, Kori!" He praised the girl, who blushed bashfully in response. Cyborg and Robin merely grumbled, sitting a good distance away from each other. The blonde frowned.

"Okay, our band dynamics are like, hella bunk. But we can work on that later, right now we got bigger problems!" He stroked his hairless chin in thought. "Let's see...if your name's Kori then..."

"Oh, actually...my real name is Koriand'r." She smiled.

"Huh?" Robin turned.

"Koriand'r!"

Beast Boy frowned. "Elaborate?"

"Oh well you see, when I first moved here, my name sounded much too foreign, so my father had me change it to Kori Anders, but my original name is still Koriand'r. Comma before the R" She smiled.

"So then what's your last name?" Robin asked.

"Oh, it is far too complicated for me to say!" She said a bit too happily, and somehow the boys thought it was best to leave it at that.

"So why didn't you tell us that from the beginning?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, well, I wasn't planning on using my real name when I first moved here but..." She gazed down at her hands, blushing bashfully, "I don't mind using it with my... _friends_."

The three boys stared at her.

"Dude, you are like too pure for this world." Beast Boy said, patting the girl's head.

"For real. Like, I'm suddenly getting these weird big brotherly urges. Yo Red! If some dude tries to get fresh with you, let me know! I'll pound their face in!" Cyborg smirked, cracking his knuckles.

"Hell yeah! I want in on that action!" Beast Boy agreed.

"Please, I do not wish for any faces to be pounded!"

Robin stood a small ways from the bantering trio, narrowing his eyes to the ground.

Friends...is that what they were? It seemed much too soon, in his opinion. They had only known each other for about a week, after all. Actually, less than that. How could they have gotten to that level without him even realizing it?

I mean, he was even arguing freely in front of these people. He couldn't even do that in his own home.

The thought left an odd feeling in his gut.

Kori laughed suddenly in her chime-like voice, catching his attention.

"As a matter of fact, in your language, Koriand'r translates directly to "Starfire." I found it rather cute when I began learning the English language, do you agree?" She asked with a clap of her hands.

"Starfire...hey, that's nice!" Cyborg complimented.

"hmm...yeah, Starfire! I like it! Very girly! Very you! We should totally use that!" Beast Boy said. He turned to Robin.

"Whatcha think, Rob?" He asked. Robin looked up at Kori, who seemed to be anticipating his answer.

He smiled softly, almost against his own will. He had been doing that a lot recently.

"...it's pretty." He said.

She smiled back widely. Even if joining this band had been an abrupt decision on her part, she couldn't imagine herself ever coming to regret it.

"Alright!" Beast Boy shot up, "now that that's settled, let's get practicing! _Starfire_ , you ready to sing your first song with the band?" He asked, grinning at the use of her new name. She stood up, beaming back at him.

"But of course!"

* * *

Before the group knew it, Friday had rolled around the corner.

"Dudes, how super sick is it that we all have music class together?!" Beast Boy piped up, walking with his bandmates to the last period of the day. Starfire walked alongside him with her usual friendly smile. She sported a long-sleeved lavender crop-top and a pale tennis skirt, her white socks rising just above her knees and blending well with her sneakers.

"Not to mention totally cliché. We should have our own TV show!" Cyborg said. He was sporting a blue hoody with a plaid button down over top and faded baggy jeans.

"Yes, it is most wonderful that we get to enjoy a class together!" The girl smiled, clapping her hands together.

"Let's just hope BB doesn't wreck the piano like _last year_."

"Hey! That was an accident! It ain't my fault Ms. Westley left the music room unlocked!"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda." The tallest of the four waved his hand about.

Robin walked a short ways behind them, hands tucked in the warm pockets of his red leather jacket. He looked out the windows lining the right side of the hallway with a forlorn expression. It had been raining all day, a clear sign that autumn was almost here. The gentle sound of water patting against the building usually made everyone a bit drowsy and more relaxed. Well, everyone except his hyperactive bandmates, that is.

But rain always made Robin feel uneasy. He wasn't really in the same "hyperactive" mood. It just didn't feel right.

 _I wonder if Jason's come home yet..._

"Um, would you mind _not_ standing directly in front of the doorway?" A raspy voice suddenly spoke, nearly startling Robin. _Nearly_.

"Oh, sorry-" He quickly moved to the side. A short pale girl stared back at him. He almost immediately recognized her monotone face from the time at the diner. She snorted dryly.

"Oh, the guy with the shades."

Robin's hand shot up to his glasses. Well, at least she wasn't saying anything about his nose. Which was healing, by the way. He glanced towards his bandmates who were also stopped beside the door. Cyborg seemed to be holding in a snicker and Beast Boy looked like a toddler whose play pal just arrived.

...

Starfire looked as pretty as ever.

"Raven! You have music class this period too?!" Beast Boy said, walking up to the girl who was dressed in a fitted black turtle neck and a dark blue maxi skirt, her combat boots poking out of the hem. She visibly frowned at the sight of the blonde teen and the bubbly redhead who seemed strangely excited to see her.

"Oh damn it all..."

* * *

"Alright class! Everyone take your seats in front of the instrument you signed up for! We will start with something simple to warm ourselves up!" Ms. Westley instructed. Beast Boy sat in front of the classical piano at the front of the room, looking back at the others who were shuffling along the mini stairs where the rest of the instruments were.

"Just try to keep up, posers." He smirked smugly, cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, just try not to break any keys this time, fartbag." The jackass, otherwise known as Gizmo, said from the bottom row of stairs next to Beast Boy.

"Oh _God_ , what the hell are you doing here, Gizmo? Go back to the third grade where you belong."

Now, it was rare that Beast Boy felt annoyance towards another human being(especially since it was usually his job to be the annoying one) but Gizmo just brought out the worst in people. I mean, a ten year old in the eleventh grade was just not right, right?

"Oh yeah? Well you can suck my third grade balls, barf brain!"

"GIZMO!" The teacher yelled, causing him to melt back into his seat with a pout.

Raven sat in front of the triangle, satisfied that she signed up for an instrument that was pretty much non-existent and settled near the back. In other words, _away from Beast Boy_. She picked up the silver shape and wand and sat in her seat, ignoring the odd look the red eyed guy on the symbols next to her was giving.

Starfire was on the other side of Cyborg, a colorful tambourine in her hands. Since she didn't quite have a talent for instruments, she decided to pick something that was the easiest to play. The redhead looked around the room and spotted Robin who was also on the first row beside Beast Boy. He held a cream colored acoustic guitar in his hand, positioning it on his knee. She smiled. The instrument seemed very familiar in his grasp. It suited him.

"Now for starters, there are some new faces in this class, most of whom had to take it out of requirement, but either way, you're here now! So I'm going to give you a few notes to play to see where you are. Let's start with..." She looked down her roster and seemed to hold back a cringe, "...Gizmo."

"Yeah, best to get the least talented out of the way." Beast Boy whispered under his breath.

"I heard that, jerkoff!" He whispered back, grabbing the upright bass and bow in front of him.

"Now, watch a _real_ genius at work." He said, lifting the bow to the strings of the bass.

And screeching his way through the notes.

The entire class groaned in discomfort.

"Oh _GOD_! I've heard cats die with less noise than this!" Cyborg shouted from the top, slapping his palms over his ears.

"Okay, I think that's enough Gizmo!" Ms. Westley snatched the bow from the ten year old's grasp, putting everyone out of their misery.

"Oh dear, we might need to change your instrument to something...more your speed." She placed a hand on her cheek in thought, looking around the room. "Let's see here...you can switch with..." She locked eyes with a certain someone and looked down at her roster, "Raven."

"What?!"

" _What._ "

"Yes, that should be good. It does say here that you are experienced in bass instruments!" Ms. Westley said with glee, beckoning the girl over. Damn, Raven knew she shouldn't have put that on the registration form.

"Uhh...I think I'm more skilled with the triangle though..." she muttered.

"Ah girl, c'mon, I won't bite." Beast Boy winked at her and she could just _feel_ the vein pulsing on her temple.

"I think I'm good."

"Come now, honey, this isn't an option!" The teacher said with a scarily unfitting smile.

Raven inwardly groaned, shuffling as slowly as possible to the front. She found her way over to the upright bass and sighed, already feeling Beast Boy's annoyingly gleeful gaze on her.

"Here-" Ms. Westley was about to hand her the bow, but the string seemed to have snapped from Gizmo's "genius" bass playing a moment ago. She cleared her throat and placed the tool behind her back. "Ah, can you play _pizzicato_?" She asked.

" _fine_." Raven mumbled, trying to hold back on the attitude. She placed her thin fingers on the strings and slowly eased into the baseline of the song Ms. Westley placed in front of her. Flawlessly, if one was being completely honest.

Beast boy's jaw popped open.

Raven could play? Straight A bookworm anti-social Raven? The Raven that always(not) laughed at his jokes and made sarcastic comments every 5 seconds?

She continued to play with casual precision. Her hands and body language seemed so comfortable with the instrument, like she had been playing forever.

A wide grin stretched across his face as he watched the dark girl pluck at the strings.

She finished the short song and gazed up at their teacher with bored eyes. Ms. Westley looked simply _overjoyed_.

"Oh you play wonderfully, Raven!"

You could almost hear Gizmo scowling from the top row.

Beast Boy crossed his arms and turned back towards the piano, grin ever present on his face.

He had an idea.

* * *

A/N oKAY,THIS TOOK WAY LONGER TO PUT OUT THAN I EXPECTED.

School has just been so hectic. I started this story towards the end of summer and figured I would just hold off for a bit when school starts to settle in and get all my assignments organized so that by the middle of the semester I'll have some free time to write. Which in my head would probably take about a month. But literal shiznits hit the fan during the middle of the semester and I was left buried in all its smelly remains ;;

But now that winter break is close by, I'm pretty sure it won't take 3 months to put out the next chapter.

Anyways, thank you for being patient guys. And also thanks for the reviews and favorites, I really appreciate them ^^ You have no idea how happy I get when I get an email saying someone favorited or reviewed my story. It makes my day brighter!

not exactly sure when I'm gonna have Raven join the gang. She is a tough cookie to crack, after all. Just know it'll be very soon!

Okay. Lates.


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